


Refuge

by firecracker189



Series: Link But Smaller [7]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Gen, Non-Sexual Age Play, big!rhett, caregiver!christy, caregiver!rhett, little!jessie, little!link, mommy!christy, nsap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-07 02:20:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17357090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firecracker189/pseuds/firecracker189
Summary: “Come on,” Rhett grabbed his shoulders and steered him towards the stairs. “Up you go, bo.” he rhymed cheerfully and Link felt some of his uncertain tension dissipate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please take the time to comment if you leave kudos! I’d love to see what you guys like about this series but so far the whole series doesn’t have a lot of feedback and now I’m nervous.

 

“I need a favor.” Rhett pronounced as he washed off his toothbrush.

Jessie looked over curiously from where she’d propped her foot on the edge of the tub to shave her legs. “What’s that, honey?”

Rhett looked a little sheepish as he put his toothbrush back in the medicine cabinet. “Link and I need the house for a couple days. We’ve got this sketch we wanna work on, and we wanna be able to get it done start to finish, but he doesn’t think we can do that in the studio.”

“I see,” Jessie hummed, leaning down smoothly to get the razor wet in the few inches of water she’d run in the bottom of the tub. “So you want me to take the kids to his house so you two can work in peace?”

“If it isn’t too much of an inconvenience.” he tugged on his shirt and got out the hair wax from his drawer under the sink.

Jessie grabbed a towel and dried off her legs, rewarding him with a smile. “You sure this isn’t because you want to have Link to yourself?” She smiled in a way that made Rhett start to sweat a little.

“W-what?” he stuttered. “Jessie that...that sounds...”

She held up her hands and shook her head softly. “I’m not done. I mean because Christy told me about him. That you’ve been helping him out. With his age regression thing.” She hung up the towel and twisted her hair up on top of her head, grabbing a clip from the counter to secure it. “Even sent me pictures.” Jessie smiled softly and readjusted her bra strap across her shoulder. “He’s pretty cute, Rhett. I think it’s really sweet that you’re helping him out. I’d love to meet him,” She said earnestly, grabbing her tank-top off the counter and wiggling into it. “Christy says he’s the sweetest thing.”

Rhett was shell-shocked, the tub of hair wax forgotten in his hands as he stared at her.

“I-you...hold up. You...you want me to...bring him here?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I want to meet him, and Christy wants to spend time with him again. We can have someone else take the kids,” Jessie picked up her jeans and slipped them over one leg. “She says that people like Link need to have this time fairly often or they get overloaded. I think we should help him.” She buttoned up her jeans and tucked her tank-top in.

“W-I...of course I wanna help,” Rhett remembered the tin in his hands and popped the top off, starting in on fixing his hair. “I love all versions of Link, but…”

“But what?” She kissed his cheek. “Think about it. Christy and I are ready when you are.” She bustled off to get the coffee started, leaving Rhett staring at himself in the mirror and contemplating.

* * *

 

Christy re-read the text from Jessie and smiled softly to herself. The package in her dresser was just waiting to be revealed to a certain precious little boy. “Hey, Link?”

“Wha?” Link’s toothbrush hung from his lips, hair half styled.

“What would you say to a night at Rhett’s place without the kiddos?”

* * *

When Link finally arrived that evening, he was full of nervous energy, skin thrumming as he loosely held Christy’s hand. She had something in her bag that she wouldn’t show him, and he’d have been mildly curious if he weren’t worried about having little time around Jessie. Christy rang the doorbell and Rhett had opened the door before it had finished chiming, a dopily large smile on his face and looking very soft around the edges in an undershirt and some cotton pajama bottoms.

“Hey, y’all!” Rhett crowed happily, stepping back with a gesture. “C’mon in!”

Christy tugged at his hand and Link obediently stepped inside, following her into the living room. He heard Rhett close the door and moved forward a little as Christy tugged at his hand once more.

“Hey man,” Link flinched as Rhett’s hand came out of nowhere from behind and gripped at his shoulder. “You wanna go upstairs, get changed?”

Christy kissed his cheek. “Go on upstairs, love.” She handed him her bag and he took it, throwing it over his shoulder. “Go on,” She encouraged, and Link turned to look at Rhett.

“Come on,” Rhett grabbed his shoulders and steered him towards the stairs. “Up you go, bo.” he rhymed cheerfully and Link felt some of his uncertain tension dissipate. He climbed up the stairs in front of Rhett and felt more of the weight leave his shoulders as the familiar duffle bag came into view, sitting atop Rhett and Jessie’s bed.

Rhett took the bags from Link’s shoulders and set them down on the carpet. “First things first,” he held out his arms with a gentle smile. “Come here. I missed you.”

“Saw me today,” Link protested softly, wrapping his arms around Rhett and squeezing softly.

Rhett hugged him tightly. “I know that,” he felt more of Link’s residual tension start to bleed away the longer he hugged him. “Just missed my little brother, is all. Missed my bumblebee,” he murmured, feeling Link’s head drop to his shoulder at the affectionate nickname. Rhett rubbed at Link’s back for a bit before tapping him on the shoulder softly. “Let’s get dressed first and then we can cuddle, okay?”

Link pulled away with that half big, half little look in his eyes and glared at Rhett.

“Hey now,” Rhett warned, turning away and beginning to unzip both Link’s littlespace bag and the bag he’d brought from home. “Don’t be like that. Don’t spoil the night with an attitude, please.” He rifled through the bags and pulled out a selection of clothes, plus the box from Christy’s bag. He swiftly opened the box and pulled out the set of soft cotton pajamas. The footed sleeper was patterned over with cute cartoon dinosaurs, and Rhett thought she’d done a great job picking something Link would love. He set the clothes aside and turned back to face Link.

“You wearing protection?” he asked firmly, making Link blush and squirm on the spot. “You gotta put some on. You know you don’t have the best control when you get little.” Rhett’s voice was full of pent-up caregiver energy as he stared Link down.

“I don’t need it.” Link’s tone was somewhere between petulant and pleading as he scuffed his sneaker clad toe against the carpet.

Weighing his options, Rhett picked the smaller of the two battles first. He gestured to Link’s torso.

“Shirt off,” he commanded. Link stripped and tossed his shirt aside, looking over at Rhett with a hint of challenge in his eyes.

Rhett shook his head and pointed at the discarded shirt. “Uh uh. You pick that up.”

Link didn’t move.

“Link, don’t be difficult. Pick it up, get over here, and finish getting undressed. We can put on your Pull-up, then we can cuddle all you want.” Rhett’s voice caused a blush to creep up the back of Link’s neck. He watched Link stomp over and pick up the shirt, throwing it onto the bed and grabbing one of the Pull-ups from the bag.

“Fine.” Link growled, still stomping as he moved to the bathroom to finish stripping and change into the garment.

Rhett was reminded of the first time he’d had to have that discussion with Link. It went much the same way.

* * *

 

_Rhett hadn’t been sure how to address it, so he’d simply waited for some time alone with Link and just gone for it. The package crinkled loudly in his hands as he took it from the bag he’d filled with Link’s little things. Link was still standing in the doorway, and he looked like he might bolt when he noticed the package Rhett was holding._

_“Link--”_

_“No,” it was soft, horrified, and Link’s eyes were filling with the kind of petulant sleepy tears that little kids often had right before bedtime._

_“You know you need them. We can’t keep washing the sheets, bo,” Rhett started, making sure not to have any sort of edge in his voice. But this was a New Thing, and however scary New Things were to a grown-up Link, a toddler Link found New Things a thousand times more so. It was like he was just so transparent that all of Adult Link’s anxiety became less than ambient, he was quiet and clingy and anything that was new to him made him upset. Not because it was angering in any way, but just because it was a New Thing, and Link didn’t know if a New Thing would be a Bad New Thing. Rhett cleared his throat and watched Link shift from foot to foot anxiously, wringing his hands and frowning. “This is gonna be a good step for you, I can tell. It’s a win-win. You keep your jammies all dry and cozy, and I don’t gotta wash the sheets at three AM.” He put the package down on the bed and took a slow step toward Link, like someone corralling a skittish animal. “Come on, bud. Just give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, we can find something else. I’m just tryin’ to help,” Rhett murmured with a smile, holding out his hands. Link scurried forward and wrapped his arms around Rhett’s middle. “It’s alright. Just give it a try for me, just for tonight, hmm?” He rubbed Link’s back._

_“Just tonight,” Link echoed with a sniffle._

_“Good man.” Rhett patted his back. “Now go on and change. Do you need help?”_

_A frankly adorable look of resolution crossed Link’s face as he wiped his eyes. “No. Can do it.”_

_“Okay. Go on and do it, then. It’s past your bedtime.” Rhett opened the package and handed one of the Pull-ups to Link, watching him scurry into the bathroom. A minute or two passed, and the door creaked open. Link stuck his head out and his eyes seemed a little bigger behind his glasses. “Um, need a little help,” Link admitted, nibbling at his lip._

_“I can do that.” Rhett agreed, pushing the door open wider._

_“Notta baby,” Link insisted as Rhett helped him out of his pants._

_“No,” Rhett assured as he snugged the Pull-up around Link’s hips. “You’re not a baby.” He helped Link back into his pants. “You’re my big boy, aren’t you?” Link’s answering smile was bright enough to power the entire city._

* * *

  
Link returned from the bathroom a moment later wearing nothing but the Pull-up. His clothes were thrown all over the bathroom floor, but Rhett would deal with that later. “Come here,” he gestured. “You have two choices tonight, bumblebee.” he kept his voice soothing and smiled at Link happily. Link didn’t seem all the way in his headspace yet, but Rhett hoped that the sweet nickname would help. “You can wear your regular pajamas,” he pointed to the shirt and pants that Link typically wore. “Or you can wear these new jammies that Christy got for you.” He picked up the pajamas and held them out, the legs dangling down in front of him. “Aren’t they nice? Wasn’t it sweet of Christy to spoil you like that, Link?” That got Link’s attention. The Pull-up crinkled as he took a step forward, staring at the pajamas with wide eyes.

“F-for me?” he reached out and touched the soft fabric with one hand.

“Yep. Just for you.” Rhett assured. “You wanna put them on?” he asked after another moment of silence. The fan was on and he could see little goosebumps popping up over Link’s mostly naked skin.

“Help me?” Link requested, voice settling in to that typical timid-soft register Rhett was used to from a little Link.

“Sure thing, bumblebee,” Rhett beamed, setting the garment down to unzip it all the way and then holding it back out as he stood to the side of Link. “Hold onto me so you don’t fall over,” he instructed. “Now put one foot in and then the other,” In swift succession he had Link zipped into the new pajamas. “Well, don’t you look cute!” Rhett drawled, turning to get Link’s pacifier and his blanket. “You look just about adorable, Link.”

Link blushed brightly beneath his glasses as he took the blanket and hugged it greedily to his chest. Rhett could tell that Link had needed this time just as much as he did. “Open up for me, bud,” Link opened up like a baby bird and Rhett put the pacifier in his mouth. “There we go,” he declared. “All ready to go downstairs.”

Christy was waiting expectantly in the living room with Jessie, chatting softly to her about how cute Link was and how much she’d love him when Rhett came slowly down the stairs with Link in his arms.

“Hey there, cutie pie!” Christy enthused, standing immediately and going to meet the two of them as Rhett sat down on the sofa. “I missed you, sweet boy! Do you like your new pajamas?”

Link peeked out from Rhett’s shoulder and nodded softly at her, giving a little smile.

“I’m so glad, baby.” she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “I got them just for you so you would have something nice and cozy to wear.” Christy stepped aside as Jessie drifted over, obviously already loving what she saw as she perched on the arm rest of the sofa and leaned down. “Hi there,” she whispered to Link, who stared at her nervously, one hand tightly fisted in Rhett’s shirt. “Don’t be scared, love,” Jessie pronounced soothingly. “I won’t hurt you. I just wanna be your friend. Is that alright, Link?”

Rhett looked down, waiting to see what Link would do. His brows were still knit together in a tell tale sign that he was processing something New and Scary. Then Link nodded very slowly and he looked up just in time to catch Jessie break into a big smile.

“Oh, thank you, cutie. I’m so glad I can be your friend. That makes me really happy, Link.”

Christy cleared her throat and Jessie stood up with a smile and a nod towards the other woman.

“We’re gonna go upstairs for a minute,” Christy told Rhett with a surreptitious smile. “You two stay down here, maybe have a snack or something. We’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Okay, then,” Rhett didn’t mind. He got even _more_ cuddles from Link if the other two weren’t in the room. He rubbed Link’s back and hummed a little under his breath. “What are they up to, bumblebee? You know?” he asked the very content Link, who shrugged with a little inquisitive sound. “You don’t know?” Rhett teased. “Well that’s okay. I don’t know either. I guess we’ll find out later.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so this entire story is inspired by a tumblr prompt (you know who you are <3) and I love every moment of writing this so thank you for inspiring it

Rhett listened to Link suck at his pacifier for a little while and then sighed softly. “You hungry, little man?” he murmured, just enjoying feeling the weight of Link against him.

If Rhett were to be honest with himself, ever since he’d started to indulge Link’s little side rather than just getting through the time spend together without asking questions, he’d begun to feel like a first time nervous parent all over again. He missed little Link when he wasn’t with him and was constantly wondering when he could see him again, and when they were together he was always soothed by seeing him safe and happy.

Link squirmed softly against him and Rhett paused in rubbing Link’s back.

“Thirsty, bubba.” Link murmured a moment later, and Rhett rejoiced silently. If Link felt comfortable enough to call Rhett something other than his name surely that meant he was fully in his headspace. Rhett heard Link put the pacifier back into his mouth and nodded softly. “M’kay. Let’s go and get you somethin’ to drink, then.” Link didn’t seem to want to let him go, though. “You gotta let go or I can’t get up,” Rhett said softly. 

“Cuddle,” Link protested, muffled by his paci and the fact that he’d once again nestled his face up against Rhett’s neck. 

“We’ll get you some juice later. How’s that sound?” Rhett decided to delegate the task to one of the girls when they finally came back down from whatever they were doing. 

Link didn’t say anything else, but Rhett didn’t blame him. He knew it was just Link being comfortable and feeling a little spoiled by all the attention. And maybe Rhett was a little bit of a pushover when it came to Link asking him for cuddles, but this softer sweeter version of Link never failed to fascinate him while at the same time awaking something primal and protective in Rhett. 

“Here they come!” Rhett craned his neck a little just in time to see a pair of slippers come down the stairs, announcing the return of the two women. “What you two up to up there?” 

Christy and Jessie shared a giggle. “It’s a secret. You two will have to find out later,” Jessie pronounced as she resisted the urge to lean down and run a hand through Link’s hair. 

“Fine.” Rhett pretended to be grumpy and relished the little short giggle Link let out against him. “Hey, can one of you go get Link some juice? I think there’s some left in the fridge, but the little guy says he’s thirsty and won’t lemme up so I can fix that,” Rhett’s tone was half teasing as he playfully jostled Link in his arms. 

Christy smiled softly. “Sure thing. Jess, you wanna go?” 

“Sure. Be back soon.” She smiled at Link, who simply buried his face in Rhett’s shirt, pretending to be shy. 

“Oh, none of that.” Rhett mumbled. “You ain’t really that shy.” Though, admittedly, it did feel good to be the “toddler’s” favorite one. Christy sat down beside the two of them and stroked Link’s arm softly. 

“Stop hiding, baby boy,” Christy pleaded gently. “You stop hiding from Jessie and me, huh? Show us your pretty face, Link. Or are you just gonna give all the cuddles to Rhett all night? That’d make me pretty sad if I didn’t get at least one good Link hug.” Christy put on a tone of mock sadness as Jessie closed cabinet doors in the kitchen. 

It was slow and seemingly painstaking, but after one more good squeeze to Rhett’s middle, Link pushed back and turned so he was sitting sideways on Rhett’s legs, facing Christy. His blanket was held right under his chin so he’d have something to hide in still, and both Rhett and Christy exchanged a glance full of unspoken words at the cute display. 

Link rooted around until he found the button of the pacifier, pulling it out of his mouth slowly. “Christy need a hug?” he asked softly, looking at her with a calculating expression.

“I always need a hug from you, precious boy,” Christy told him with a soft look. “Your hugs automatically make anything feel better.” 

Link seemed to brighten a little as she spoke, wiggling down from Rhett’s lap until he was sitting on his knees on the rug. Scooting on his knees, Link crawled over the few inches to where she sat, reaching up from his spot on the floor. Christy leaned down and wrapped her arms tightly around him, rubbing his back slowly. “Oh my goodness, you give the best hugs. I think your hugs might be magic, Link. They just make all the bad feelings go away!” Link sat back on his feet and looked over ar Rhett, mouth agape at Christy’s pronouncement. Rhett winked at him with a deep chuckle, reaching out to take the cup Jessie offered him. 

“No lid!” Link protested when he caught sight of the plastic cup. “No lid! Imma big boy, I no spill!” he insisted proudly, puffing out his chest a little. 

The three grownups exchanged glances. Jessie had just paid to outfit their living room in a new set of matching white sofas and loveseats, and Rhett was inclined to agree with her that he didn’t want any grape juice stains on them (even if it was supposedly the stain repelling type of fabric). Rhett obviously had the final say, being that Link knew him best and responded to him more, but as soon as he opened his mouth Link was talking again.

“No spill,” he declared yet again, making frantic little crossing motions over his chest. “Cross heart, no spill! Big boys don’t needa lid,” He looked at Rhett earnestly, eyes large and glasses slightly crooked in a way that just made him so damn adorable that Rhett had to let out an exasperated sigh. 

“Fine. But you sit right where I put you and use two hands on the cup. If you spill even  _ one _ drop that lid goes right back on.” Rhett could feel the two women giggling silently beside him, no doubt in complete agreement that Rhett was absolutely whipped when it came to toddler Link. “Now get over on the sofa and I’ll hand the cup to you.” 

Link scrambled to get to his feet, quickly heading to plop down on the loveseat, making eager grabby hands towards the cup Rhett held. “Jessie’s gonna sit with you and if you don’t want it, hand it to her, okay?” Jessie looked absolutely over the moon at getting to sit with Link, happily sitting down beside him and giving him a smile. She leaned forward and took the cup from Rhett, leaving him to root around for the remote control and put on something child-friendly so Link would have something to entertain himself with. Jessie had to restrain herself from giggling as Link reached for the drink with a Very Serious Expression. It totally said ‘I am a big boy thank you very much, and i will take this responsibility seriously’. It was so cute she had to keep from squealing.

“Be careful, honey,” Jessie warned softly, watching Link take the cup in both hands and very slowly take a few sips. He leaned back and gave her a tentative smile, licking some juice off his lips. “You’re so silly,” Jessie cooed, making him squirm and blush. “Do you want more or are you done for the moment?” 

Link made to hand her the cup back, but as he was passing the cup over to her the cup knocked against his forearm, tumbling down on the space between them and covering the fresh white fabric with a coating of purple. 

Silence hung in the air as the beginning credits of Frozen began playing, all heads turning to watch the stain drip down the sofa cushion and head for the rug. Jessie and Christy sprang into action a second later, going for paper towels and the cleaning spray. Rhett dove for Link and scooped him up before the juice could get on his new pajamas, hurrying to get him out of the way. He set Link on his feet and gave him a firm look. “What did I tell you about the juice?”

Link squirmed and nibbled at his lip. 

“Don’t bite your lip. Look at me.” Rhett took Link’s chin in his hand and tilted his head upwards so they made eye contact. “Tell me what I said about the juice.” 

“Notta spill it.” Link whispered. 

“That’s right. I said not to spill the juice. And what did you do?” 

“Spilled it.” 

“You did spill it. Now what happens if you break a rule?” 

Link’s eyes got another size bigger. “Get punished.” 

Rhett nodded. “That’s right. Corner time, five minutes.” he declared with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew that time out was purgatory for Link. All that sitting still and being quiet was just something that a little Link couldn’t handle. Rhett steered Link by the shoulders into the kitchen and pointed to the corner. “Sit. I’m going to set the oven timer for five minutes and I don’t want to see you up before then.” Link sank dejectedly to the floor, already looking tearful as Rhett turned his back on him and scooted past Christy to set the timer. The beep of the buttons seemed so loud as he hit ‘start.’ 

Rhett didn’t look at Link as he exited the kitchen. “How’s the sofa?”

“Good as new.” Christy stood up and picked up the bottle of cleaner with a little shrug. “Don’t be too hard on him.” She pleaded. 

Rhett sank down onto the sofa and tried to absorb himself in watching Frozen. Anything was better than focusing on the rapidly increasing sounds of crying he could hear filtering into the room. Jessie and Christy joined him a second later, sitting down on either side of him and doing sweet little things like rubbing his arms or patting his back. He was so tense his hands left white prints on one another from gripping so hard. The first two minutes went by without incident, but just as minute three began, a desperate voice floated out of the kitchen. 

“Bubba!” The whine was plaintive and so full of little boy regret that Rhett flinched. “Bubba, Link sorry!” a wet sniffle and a large sob followed. Link had never spoken in the third person before, but somehow it made Rhett feel even more like the bad guy. “Link not mean to be bad!” Link howled and Rhett could picture the tears flowing like a waterfall. There was a clatter and he knew that Link had thrown his glasses somewhere. “Bubba, pease! Link be good! Let Link out!” there was a muffled thud and Link’s anguished cries sounded distorted. “Bubba!” 

Christy and Jessie curled around Rhett protectively, shushing him and cooing into his ears.

“You had to do this.” 

“Don’t let up now. He needs to learn.” 

Rhett bristled. “Listen to him! He sounds like he’s dying!” Rhett’s face twisted as Link let out another much softer plea. “I can’t...I can’t do this,” Rhett groaned, leaning forward and tangling his hands in his hair. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the pleas. As soon as the timer went off he was off like a shot, mashing on the off button and flinging himself down on the floor beside Link. He didn’t care that his knees hurt, or that maybe it had been too long since they’d swept the kitchen tiles and Link was getting dirty laying there face down--face down in the floor, crying because of  _ Rhett-- _

“Hey. I gotcha. It’s alright, bumblebee. I gotcha.” Rhett tugged Link into his arms and held him  _ tight _ . “I gotcha. Rhett’s so sorry, bumblebee,” Rhett’s voice broke, stroking at Link’s hair roughly. He buried his face into Link’s neck and rocked from side to side. Link’s sobs had turned to a constant soft litany of ‘Link sorry!’ and ‘Bubba!’ and it was like a knife to Rhett’s heart. Rhett petted Link’s hair again and rocked from side to side. “Bubba’s sorry, little bumblebee.”

Rhett kept up the soft talking until Link was leaned up against him wearily, hands fisted in his shirt and his hot cheek pressed against Rhett’s chest. “I’m so sorry I had to do that, little brother,” Rhett’s voice was rough as he stroked Link’s hair again. He hadn’t realized he’d been crying until Link had calmed down. He chanced to look up as Link let out another fitful shuddering breath. Christy and Jessie stood in the doorway to the kitchen, swiping at their eyes and smiling sheepishly as him. He nodded at them softly.

“H-how about we go upstairs?” Christy murmured.

“I think Link could use an early night,” Jessie agreed. “Get a certain baby boy cleaned  up and cozy.” 

“If you two promise to help me off the floor,” Rhett gave a half-laugh. “Ain’t as spry as I was when y’all met me first.” He held out a hand and the two crouched down, Christy coaxing a still weepy Link off Rhett and Jessie helping Rhett to stand up. 

“Thanks, darlin’,” He winked and kissed Jessie on the cheek. “Your knight in shining armor is a little decrepit,” Rhett admitted. 

“That’s okay. I don’t love him any less.” Jessie giggled, nodding towards Christy. 

Link was yawning pitifully and leaning his head on Christy’s shoulder. Christy was talking to him softly, running her hand through his hair. Somehow she’d managed to pick up his glasses and they stuck out of her pocket as she crooned softly to Link. “D’you want to go upstairs, sweet boy? Jessie and I have a surprise for you and Rhett.” 

Link was sucking his thumb, looking exhausted and plaintive, though his eyes sparked a bit of interest as Christy spoke of their surprise.

“I’d like to see that surprise,” Rhett drawled softly, taking Jessie’s hand. “C’mon, Link. Let’s go on up.” 

Christy shepherded Link up the stairs and Rhett and Jessie followed. 

“So what is the surprise?” he whispered to Jessie.

“You’ll see.” She winked and pointed to the guest room. 

“Oh. Wow,” Rhett murmured appreciatively. The two women had transformed the entire floor into a pillow fort, complete with a bed sheet draped over the top and lots and lots of blankets to burrow up into. Rhett looked over at Link and had to laugh, Link’s eyes were huge. “Come on.” Rhett lay down and Jessie followed suit, passing over Link’s pacifier from her robe pocket. 

Link curled up against Rhett’s chest and Rhett sighed happily, rubbing his back. “Go to sleep, bumblebee,” he murmured tiredly, as Christy tossed a blanket over the two of them. “Take this and go to sleep.” Rhett handed him the pacifier and Link melted as he put it in his mouth. “Tomorrow we can do more fun things.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day with Little!Link!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise twist i couldn't get out of my head brought to you guys by a complimentary anon who put this plot bunny into my head. It wouldn't leave me alone and i had to do it. (Anyways, follow my tumblr to interact with me for prompts, etc: firecrackerwrites)

Rhett was warm and content when he woke up, the kind of waking up that happened long and slow after a good night’s rest. He was warm and content, eyes heavy and a tell-tale warmth at his neck that meant Link was still curled up against him. He lifted a heavy arm and rubbed at Link’s side slowly, sleepily, but affectionately. Link was a million degrees, like a space heater beside him. Rhett pried his sleep crusted eyes open and blinked lazily, taking a deep breath. Chancing to look down, he was met with the sight of a very soft Link, breaths puffing in and out evenly, pacifier discarded somewhere in the blankets. The little one was the picture of safety and security, thumb in his mouth and fingers curled over his nose. It was  _ adorable _ . Rhett lay there a moment longer before he realized the two women were no longer with them. He could hear whispering in the hallway just outside the door, and he made to extract himself from Link’s hold. 

“Nuh,”

The sleepy-soft noise had him freezing in place. “Morning,” Rhett rumbled, placing one hand on Link’s head and rubbing softly. “Did you sleep well, bumblebee?” 

Link held on tighter and nodded as he suckled at his thumb. Rhett cuddled him for a few more minutes, the soft conversation outside the door indistinct yet somehow urgent to his ears. 

“C’mon. Up we go. Potty time and then breakfast.” Rhett sat up slow, bringing Link with him. He rubbed Link’s back for a minute, letting him get used to sitting up before he pushed to his feet, Link still clinging onto him. Rhett brushed his teeth in a desperate bid to wake up a little more while Link went to the bathroom and threw away his (predictably) wet Pull-up. By the time he’d finished wiping off his face he was ready to help Link into a clean Pull-up and get Link zipped back into his pajamas. “You ready to go get somethin’ to eat?” Rhett murmured, and Link nodded softly. He wouldn’t be likely to speak much till after breakfast, Rhett didn’t think. “Kay, little man. Go grab your binky and we can go downstairs and find the girls.” 

Link was right back to sucking on his pacifier as soon as he’d located it, taking Rhett’s hand sleepily and sticking right close to his side as they headed for the door. Rhett pulled the door open and they came face to face with Christy.

“Oh. Hey,” Rhett drawled, surprised as he blinked at her. “What’s--” he let go of Link’s hand instantly the moment the soft sobbing sounds reached his ears. “Jessie? Are you okay?” he knelt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he looked up at Christy, brows knit together in worry. 

Christy sighed quietly and gave him a slightly upset look. “She...okay, so don’t be mad. She wanted to tell you herself, but...she regresses too. She’s typically about six, and before you ask me, no I didn’t know bout this for very long. She came to me once not long after she found out about you and Link and...what can I say? I haven’t gotten to be a mommy in a long time, and Link’s got you, so…” 

Rhett sat back on his heels, blinking long and slow as he processed the link between the information she’d given him and his crying wife beside him. He cleared his throat softly and rubbed her shoulder gently. “Jessie?” Rhett asked softly. “Jessie, were you worried about me finding out because you thought I’d be mad at you?”

A tear-streaked face peeked out from between her fingers, a little sob sounding as she nodded up at him. 

“Oh, Jess,” Rhett sounded disappointed, smiling at her softly. “You know how much I love you, right?” he decided to stay gentle and quiet with her. He waited until she’d nodded again before continuing. “Then that right there oughta tell you that nothing would ever make me not want you around, including this. You know it didn’t bother me when Link needed this, of course it won’t bother me if you need this too.” he held out his arms. “I don’t mind one bit if I have another kiddo to help look after,” Rhett smiled at her again and a moment later she was clinging to him tightly. 

“Thank you,” she whispered fervently. 

“You’re welcome. Now go on with Christy and get your face washed up.” He murmured. At this point he was so far into this with Link that nothing surprised him anymore. Rhett stood up and watched as Christy shepherded Jessie off back to the master bedroom. 

Link tugged at his shirt with a whine and he turned back with a crooked smile. “Oh, I’m sorry, Link. Did I forget to pay attention to you, huh?” he teased. Link’s eyes watered and Rhett hummed quietly. “Hey,” he took Link’s hand in his own and squeezed it tightly. “This don’t change anything between you and me, okay? Nothing about us is changing because of this. Alright? You’re still my little brother.” Rhett assured him, pressing their foreheads together and lightly squeezing at the nape of Link’s neck with his other hand. Link sniffled and held out his arms. “Okay.” Rhett agreed. “I’ll carry you. We’ll go sit down and have breakfast, hmm?”

Rhett had just gotten Link installed at the kitchen table with a bowl of dry Mini-Wheats and some cut up bananas when Christy and Jessie appeared. Jessie’s face was freshly washed and she was wearing a pair of bright pink pajama pants Rhett had never seen before, and a top with a rainbow on it. She sat meekly at the table and Christy moved to pour herself a cup of coffee.

“How’s she doing?” Rhett murmured quietly as he filled his bowl with cereal. 

“Okay. Quiet, but that’s understandable. Thanks for not being hard on her.” 

“I would never,” he filled the bowl with milk. “I love her and I love Link. If this is what they want, what they need, then I’m on board. Whatever that means.” he turned his back on Christy and sat down beside Link, smiling at him around a mouthful of food and making Link giggle sleepily. “That’s my boy,” Rhett said fondly, ruffling at Link’s hair and watching him beam happily. “Now eat up. I wanna see that bowl empty, bo.” 

Breakfast was a mostly quiet affair, Jessie avoiding Rhett’s gaze and Link trying to gain it as Christy sat in the middle. A sort of mediator, Christy occasionally murmured softly to Jessie and got a quiet whisper in the ear in return. Link kept showing his bowl to Rhett and trying to get his approval for how much cereal he’d eaten. Rhett would nod and praise him softly, not wanting to really upset him by not playing along. Once they’d gotten the two little ones to eat as much as possible, Rhett picked Link back up and carried him to the couch. He made sure to sit down with him in his lap, wanting him to be as close as possible since Link was still a little clingy. “Hey, bo,” Rhett murmured softly, rubbing his back as Link curled into him. “I’m not going anywhere.” he held onto Link tightly, watching over Link’s shoulder as Jessie and Christy took over the coffee table with coloring sheets and crayons. Jessie seemed more relaxed after breakfast, and he was glad to see it. But nothing was going to make him let go of Link when Link was so out of sorts still. He needed to make sure that Link didn’t feel left out or abandoned. Occasionally Link would whine softly and he would have to reassure him that he wasn’t going to leave again.

“What’s got you so worked up?” He asked, carding a hand through Link’s hair as he watched Jessie tell Christy all about the merits of pink crayons versus sparkly pink crayons. “Why you think I’m gonna leave you, Link?” Rhett felt a little drool soak into the collar of his shirt and he knew Link was back to sucking his thumb.  “You know I’d never do that to you. I love you too much.” Rhett kept up the hair petting and the soft reassurances for another several minutes before he heard Christy clear her throat.

“Hey, Link? Do you wanna come color too? We have some extra sheets over here. Jessie says she’ll even let you have the last doggy one.”

“You wanna color?” Rhett asked him, grateful to Christy for throwing him a life line. 

“Bubba,” Link whined, holding tighter. 

“I’ll come too. You can sit in my lap and I’ll help you color. Come on.” Rhett eased down off the sofa and scooted on his butt until he was at the edge of the table, gently prying Link’s arms off him. “Turn around, there we go, good job, Link.” he muttered, as Christy slid some crayons and a sheet of paper across the table to them. “Look here, look,” Rhett coaxed Link around and wrapped one strong arm around his waist to hold them back to chest. “Look at that puppy dog, Link. You wanna help me color that puppy dog?” 

Link sucked at his thumb fitfully and Rhett cursed himself for not grabbing the binky off the table when they’d left the kitchen. The top of his hair tickled Rhett’s neck as Link nodded. “Okay, little man. What color you want? We got blue, green, orange…” Link pointed to the blue and Rhett picked it up. “Good choice. A blue puppy dog.” He put the crayon into Link’s hand and closed his hand on top, encouraging him to start to color the paper. “You’re so good at that, Link,” Rhett murmured into his ear. “You’re such a good colorer.” 

“Rhett?” He looked up. Jessie was holding up the glittery pink princess she’d colored. His name was scrawled at the bottom in big letters. “I made you a picture,” She ducked her head and blushed nervously. “Do you like it?”

Rhett felt a lump in his throat as he nodded, forcing himself to give her a big smile so she wouldn’t get the wrong impression by his emotions. “I love it, Jessie. Thank you. That deserves to be put up on the fridge, right Christy?”

Christy nodded with all seriousness. “Only the best art in the world gets put on the fridge, and I think that counts. C’mon!” she pushed to her feet and held out her hand. “Let’s go put it up while Link finishes his picture.” 

The two scampered off excitedly and Rhett abandoned the crayon, pressing his face into Link’s sweet smelling hair. 

“Color,” Link insisted. 

“I know, bo. Just a minute. Lemme hold you. I just wanna hold you and be happy that I’m so lucky as to have such a good boy like you in my life.” Rhett wrapped his arms around Link and held him tight, feeling Link relax back against him peacefully. “Just lemme hold you.” he repeated, resting his chin on Link’s shoulder. Link’s eyelids fluttered in a way that meant he was feeling a little smaller than normal and he started sucking his thumb again, but Rhett didn’t mind. He was a the luckiest big brother in the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Link's typically about three, but can drop as young as two if he hasn't regressed in a while. Jessie is typically always about six years old regardless of her circumstances. she was just nervous about Rhett finding out. Once she'd heard about Link's regression, she knew she'd be able to tell Rhett eventually, but she just had wanted to do it her own way instead of this way. But he accepts her just as she is because he loves any version of her and that's hella goals y'all. <3


End file.
